The GM debate

Here are four aspects of the GM debate. Read the pros and cons. What’s your view ?

Pro GM

Against GM

Feeding the world

A hundred million people in Africa eat the cereal sorghum every day, it’s the basis of their entire diet. The problem is it’s not nutritious enough for healthy growth. Scientists want to add vitamins A and E, minerals and protein to improve sorghum. But because it’s tricky to improve the plant with traditional breeding, GM is a nifty solution.

Three hundred million people in Africa rely on maize for their main source of food. But soon it could become a way to improve health too. Eye problems are widespread in Africa, where many people don’t get enough vitamin A. Scientists are now working to cross-breed ordinary maize with a variety that contains a substance our bodies can easily convert into the missing vitamin. Traditional plant breeding programmes like this could also result in better harvests – with no need to use GM technology at all.

Fewer fertilisers

Scientists want to use clover’s genes to reduce fertiliser use. Researchers have worked out that clover produces a natural fertiliser by trapping bacteria in its roots. They now hope to transfer clover genes into rice, creating a variety that produces fertiliser of its own. Nitrogen fertilisers increase crop yields. But if rice contained a home-made fertiliser, it would save farmers money – and protect the environment from over-used chemicals.

For years farmers have known that clover is a natural fertiliser. Sowing clover underneath their crops increases nitrogen levels in the soil and helps to increase crop yields. Satellite imagery can also reveal which areas of land need a boost from nitrogen fertilisers to help crops grow properly. By only using chemical fertilisers where they’re really needed, farmers save money and help stop environmental damage.

Battling bugs

Pests and diseases are a farmer’s nightmare. But what’s the best way to keep them at bay ? Instead of spraying crops with expensive and potentially hazardous chemicals, researchers are trying to create plants that resist problems by themselves. Currently, farmers have to spray potatoes once a week to avoid the devastating late blight disease. But there are wild Andean potatoes that aren’t affected by blight. If scientists can transfer their genes to other potato varieties in the lab, the GM super-spuds won’t need spraying with fungicides.

Pests and diseases are a farmer’s nightmare. But what’s the best way to keep them at bay ? Instead of spraying crops with pesticides and fungicides, scientists in Peru are testing a cheap and safe alternative. They’ve released chickens into the local potato fields to eat up the Andean potato weevils – a notoriously damaging pest. This method saves farmers money and time, and reduces the potential hazards of handling powerful chemicals.

The climate challenge

Growing crops is thirsty work. As our climate changes, we’ll urgently need plants that can grow well even when water is scarce. One plant that copes in dry conditions is moss — but it’s not much of a tasty morsel. Researchers are exploring how to move a gene from moss into maize to make it thrive in a hotter, drier climate. The search for successful GM plants can take years — but investment now could yield a new generation of hardy crops.

Growing crops is thirsty work. As our climate changes, we’ll urgently need plants that survive even when water is scarce.
To speed up the search for plants that will thrive in dry conditions, researchers are developing an ingenious system that will allow them to see plants’ roots through the soil. Scientists plant seedlings in a special pot lined with a circuit board. A small electric current passes through the soil which can create an image of the root system seeking water.

The GM debate

Here are four aspects of the GM debate. Read the pros and cons. What’s your view ?

Pro GM

Against GM

Feeding the world

A hundred million people in Africa eat the cereal sorghum every day, it’s the basis of their entire diet. The problem is it’s not nutritious enough for healthy growth. Scientists want to add vitamins A and E, minerals and protein to improve sorghum. But because it’s tricky to improve the plant with traditional breeding, GM is a nifty solution.

Three hundred million people in Africa rely on maize for their main source of food. But soon it could become a way to improve health too. Eye problems are widespread in Africa, where many people don’t get enough vitamin A. Scientists are now working to cross-breed ordinary maize with a variety that contains a substance our bodies can easily convert into the missing vitamin. Traditional plant breeding programmes like this could also result in better harvests – with no need to use GM technology at all.

Fewer fertilisers

Scientists want to use clover’s genes to reduce fertiliser use. Researchers have worked out that clover produces a natural fertiliser by trapping bacteria in its roots. They now hope to transfer clover genes into rice, creating a variety that produces fertiliser of its own. Nitrogen fertilisers increase crop yields. But if rice contained a home-made fertiliser, it would save farmers money – and protect the environment from over-used chemicals.

For years farmers have known that clover is a natural fertiliser. Sowing clover underneath their crops increases nitrogen levels in the soil and helps to increase crop yields. Satellite imagery can also reveal which areas of land need a boost from nitrogen fertilisers to help crops grow properly. By only using chemical fertilisers where they’re really needed, farmers save money and help stop environmental damage.

Battling bugs

Pests and diseases are a farmer’s nightmare. But what’s the best way to keep them at bay ? Instead of spraying crops with expensive and potentially hazardous chemicals, researchers are trying to create plants that resist problems by themselves. Currently, farmers have to spray potatoes once a week to avoid the devastating late blight disease. But there are wild Andean potatoes that aren’t affected by blight. If scientists can transfer their genes to other potato varieties in the lab, the GM super-spuds won’t need spraying with fungicides.

Pests and diseases are a farmer’s nightmare. But what’s the best way to keep them at bay ? Instead of spraying crops with pesticides and fungicides, scientists in Peru are testing a cheap and safe alternative. They’ve released chickens into the local potato fields to eat up the Andean potato weevils – a notoriously damaging pest. This method saves farmers money and time, and reduces the potential hazards of handling powerful chemicals.

The climate challenge

Growing crops is thirsty work. As our climate changes, we’ll urgently need plants that can grow well even when water is scarce. One plant that copes in dry conditions is moss — but it’s not much of a tasty morsel. Researchers are exploring how to move a gene from moss into maize to make it thrive in a hotter, drier climate. The search for successful GM plants can take years — but investment now could yield a new generation of hardy crops.

Growing crops is thirsty work. As our climate changes, we’ll urgently need plants that survive even when water is scarce.
To speed up the search for plants that will thrive in dry conditions, researchers are developing an ingenious system that will allow them to see plants’ roots through the soil. Scientists plant seedlings in a special pot lined with a circuit board. A small electric current passes through the soil which can create an image of the root system seeking water.